Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams, who’s geared up for his 2023 debut this Monday night against the New York Giants, opened up about some deep thoughts he had after a devastating leg injury last season.

Jamal didn’t hold back when talking to reporters last Friday, the first time he’d spoken since tearing his left quadriceps tendon.

He shared how he had a serious moment of reflection in the locker room when he learned his season was toast, even admitting to some waterworks. He described being in a “dark place” after the injury bomb dropped.

“It was tough,” Jamal said via ESPN’s Brady Henderson, “I thought about retiring. I thought about a lot of things. Is this going to be it for me? I didn’t know. But I knew eventually, after I got that MRI, I told myself I’m going to be back. I didn’t know when or how, but I was going to figure it out.”

When asked why he considered hanging up his cleats, the 27-year-old safety pointed to a laundry list of injuries he’s endured over the past three seasons.

Apart from the torn quad tendon, Adams has wrestled with two busted shoulder labrums and a bunch of less serious injuries to his groin, elbow, and fingers.

Since the Seahawks snagged him in that blockbuster deal with the New York Jets in 2020, Adams has missed 28 out of a possible 53 regular-season games. That’s a lot of missed action for a guy who’s supposed to be a defensive powerhouse.

“I was considering everything at the moment. I was in a dark place. Not on anything suicidal, but definitely in a lot of dark times as far as getting away from the game of football, getting away from people. At the time I wasn’t really talking to many people, wasn’t answering my phone. So you go through real life situations in this game of football.”

Returning to action against the Giants in Week 4 was Jamal’s goal from the get-go. He knew his recovery would keep him out for most of the summer and the preseason, so he figured he’d need a solid three weeks of practice during the regular season to get back in game shape.

Now it’s time to get back on the field and show he can return back to form.